


All the Strange Ways

by macabre



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Mute Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-08
Updated: 2010-07-08
Packaged: 2017-11-08 12:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/443246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/macabre/pseuds/macabre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slight AU. After his first meeting with Dean, Castiel says one thing and nothing more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All the Strange Ways

Dean knows the signs of Castiel all around him. The smooth and easy hunts, the lack of traffic on the road, his favorite pie being generously offered to him for free. All little things, but Dean feels a great magnitude in them. He’s just not sure what it’s for.

It feels like the angel is apologizing, although Dean doesn’t know what for. Besides from scaring the shit out of him and leaving him without any answers, Dean has almost found peace with his existence.

But this is all the communication they have. Dean rarely sees Castiel, and when he does, the angel still speaks nothing. Hasn’t said a thing to him, although Dean knows he can talk. The first time they meet, Castiel tells him the only truth he need know: “I am an angel of the Lord. I’m the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.”

Sam has yet to see Castiel. He is so eager to believe that angels are among them that Dean has to lure his angel out somehow. So their next hunt he runs a little slower, gets a little closer. It works – Castiel appears to them when Dean feels lightheaded from blood loss.

The long tear in his side isn’t an injury he would have picked to purposely give himself, but it is dire enough that the angel comes, so Dean clenches his teeth and tugs the sleeve on his trench coat.

“Knew you’d come.”

Castiel smiles, Dean thinks dreamily. He’s never seen him smile before. His angel bends low over him and kisses his forehead. Dean sleeps, pain forgotten.

Picking the hunter up, Castiel carefully tucks Dean into him, his face pressed close to Dean’s. Sam lets him walk away with his brother, wordlessly following. He follows them to the car, where, after Castiel moves away from arranging his brother in the back seat, Sam can see Dean’s whole and healthy skin.

Wishing he could say more, Sam only says thanks. The angel nods and steps closer. He reaches with two fingers for the cut on his neck. Sam jerks away, faintly itching and hearing a straining noise. When he touches his neck, his fingers return clean.

When Dean comes to shortly, he jerks up in the backseat. “Did ya see him, Sammy?”

Sam jumps behind the wheel, the car swerving. He glances to the passenger side – where Castiel sits.

“Cas! Shit, you’re still here.” Dean smiles. Then Castiel reappears directly next to Dean in the back, except Dean is still lopsided, so he falls into the angel’s lap in surprise.

Sam snickers at him. Dean coughs, turning a little red with his head buried in the guy’s thigh. Castiel is smiling sweetly at him, quiet as ever, not a breath or a groan in his body, and he brushes his hand through Dean’s hair.

Dean turns really red then, but he doesn’t move because he doesn’t want to disrespect his angel.

Which is what Sam starts calling Castiel – Dean’s angel. But, Castiel says nothing about the name, of course. He mostly smiles at Dean, except on the job when the hunter cuts things a little too close. Then he frowns, tapping Dean’s chest.

“Be more careful, I know.”

Since Castiel seems to plan on sticking around (well, it’s not like they can ask him and get a concrete answer, right?), Dean eases up on hunts. They fall into an almost natural routine that involves Castiel working with them. This includes touching Dean an alarming amount on the side.

Sam enjoys watching Dean squirm, but neither of them say anything to the angel. Dean’s not sure what he thinks of the situation, except that it’s cool he has his own angelic stalker, one that can’t tell him to stop when he commits some little sin. Which he still does, all the time, and he even tries to tempt the angel with certain things.

But of course, any angel, almost-mute-angel especially, can give a good cold shoulder when he wants to.

Dean eventually grows too comfortable with Castiel. They’re practically in each other’s laps at a diner, Castiel’s hand on Dean’s leg, when a young girl gushes at them. Sam points at her, Dean’s smile falls, and the older Winchester has to stealthily remove an angel from his lap.

This Winchester then has to think about his growing relationship with Castiel. He knows what it must look like to outsiders, something he himself doesn’t really think about, because Cas is an angel, and also, Castiel falling into his lap at times seems natural, expected.

Thinking about it really though, it’s the last thing one should expect from an angel.

Dean thinks too hard about it, because Cas has appeared to sit next to him, a brushing touch against Dean’s neck. Dean huffs; what’s it matter if an angel, his angel, likes to harmlessly touch him, and maybe he doesn’t mind?

Maybe not harmlessly. Right then Castiel actually plants himself in Dean’s lap. The hunter naturally grabs his hips to balance them before they slip off the Impala’s hood.

Flustered, Dean battles with shoving the guy off or holding on. He settles on gripping Castiel harder than he would anyone else, and asks what he’s wanted to ask.

“So, when are you going to speak to me again? Because I remember meeting you, dude. I remember your voice.” He actually remembers it being very low, and maybe kind of sexy.

Castiel smiles at him with that same patient smile, like Dean might be the only human he can stand.

“When it’s important, right, you’ll talk again?”

And Castiel says nothing, but he kisses Dean right there in the parking lot of a motel, the manager gawking out his window, a passing car honking, and Dean’s poor unsuspecting brother walking out on them.

Sam takes it in stride, despite the existence of angels not being exactly what he dreamt of. Gay angels, after all.

“You’re taking it too literally, Dean. Him kissing you doesn’t mean wants to be intimate with you. I think he’s, um, appreciating you. Somehow. In other ways. You were important enough for him to spring from hell…”

Dean smirks. “Yeah, he appreciates my fine looks and attitude. That’s why he got me out of there. Too good to waste.”

Castiel looks a little put off, like he always does when Dean and hell are mentioned, but he shakes his head, taps Dean’s chest over his heart, and nods to heaven.

Dean doesn’t become convinced that Castiel is the innocent, reverent angel Sam wants him to be. Kid must be blind, because Castiel continues to sit nearly on top of Dean and occasionally kiss him. Dean doesn’t let it happen in public, but it is too embarrassing for him to let his brother witness, so makes sure Castiel and him have quality alone time together. For the angel to get out his feelings of appreciation, as Sam calls them.

This wards off women. Dean lives through the longest dry spell since puberty, which in return, makes him start appreciating Castiel more. He isn’t blind (like Sam) – the angel’s body is attractive. He’s even grown fond of the ridiculous clothes he wears everyday.

When Castiel kisses him, his whole body relaxes because it’s his angel, but his mind curses. This is all the release he has, chaste kisses and cuddling. There’s no denying it at this point. It’s cuddling.

Dean misses it when it ends.

They’re hunting something in Indiana when Sam goes down and Dean has to take care of it himself. Just as Dean hits the ground, grabbing Sam’s body, he turns to call Castiel. But Castiel isn’t there. Dean is left to staunch the blood himself, haul his brother’s unconscious body himself, and worry until he reaches an ER by himself.

Angel still missing, Dean sneaks a drugged out Sam from the hospital before they get suspicious a day later. He drives far enough away and plays nursemaid for his brother until he can move around comfortably again.

None of this would have been a problem if an angel hadn’t picked that moment to disappear. Sam worries about his absence. Dean is just pissed. He’s pissed because he could have lost Sam. He’s pissed because he definitely misses the cuddling. He’s lost his angel and has no clue why.

Sam isn’t ready to hunt again, but Dean needs to kill something. Every time he sits still enough he notices that there isn’t another body melting into his side. Then he has to worry about Castiel too. Sam keeps pointing out (mostly when he notices Dean’s slumped shoulders and tired eyes) that Castiel probably didn’t leave by choice. Not in the middle of a hunt after all the time he’d spent with them.

Eventually Sam heals and they hunt again, minus any assistance. They both work a little harder, have to be a little more cautious. Dean’s not letting Sammy make another ER trip any time soon.

His brother’s concerned looks remind Dean that he didn’t imagine an angel rescuing him. Nightmares of hell creep up on him. It’s been months and Dean can’t kiss any of the pretty women he meets. It’s his last tie to Cas.

Castiel shows up again, looking the exact same, smiling shyly under the brightest possible sky and chirping birds and a bouquet of flowers on the hood of the Impala. Sam runs into Dean, takes a look around the back of his head, then quickly retreats back into the motel room.

After initially a sick feeling, Dean stomps over to his baby and rips the flowers off. He pivots, makes a fist and lets it fly.

“I missed you, Dean.”

Course diverted, Dean stumbles, pitching all his weight into his original target. Castiel catches him, Dean’s arm wrapping around his neck. His angel smiles wider.

Dean is still, still enough to melt into Castiel. His fingers touch Castiel’s lips.

“What did you say?” Castiel taps over his heart, a universal sign that at this moment Dean knows means he’s sorry.

“I missed you.”

Dean isn’t angry anymore. This is an important moment, reinforced by words and kissing.

A lot of kissing.

Dean is right. His angel’s intentions aren’t entirely innocent.


End file.
